ULABs headen violence written by someone

This is not to offend anyone just for a better intellectual and social climate.
I really wish your success making ULAB a genuine higher educational institution devoid of the slightest trace of corruption. This is a dire necessity for the time and for the country.

I was a part time faculty in the Media Studies and Journalism (MSJ) Department of your esteemed institution, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) for last two semesters. This letter is to seek your intervention in the said events. I think you are aware of the events, but without my version of the narration. The surprise action taken against me is not only an unjust act, but also a crafted hostility which I believe you should be aware of. I request for your intervention both in terms of my further professional involvement with ULAB and for the sake of a secured professionalism in future in one of the promising private education ventures.

I taught TV News Production Skills in my first semester. The outcome of the course was a twenty minutes original TV news production, done by the students under my supervision. For the first time (as per students' feedback) they visited Ekushey Television (ETV) and SISIMPUR Studio at National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). They got optimum cooperation and warm reception from both of the organizations because of my previous professional relationship with them.
In the second semester, I taught two courses titled 1) Visual Communication and 2) Advanced TV Production. A documentary film on SIDR and a feature film titled 'Misfire' got produced by the students under my supervision. In Visual Communication course, students carried out two seminars titled 'SAFE Face SIDR' and 'Field Focus and Future of Visual Communication' along with a day long photography exhibition titled 'Dawn to Dusk' with their photographs. The event was attended by the leaders of the media and communication field. Teamed with the faculty of Advertising, a field trip to the SIDR affected area of Pathaghata was conducted for the students. In Advanced TV Production, students developed their script and shooting plan and even acted themselves in the film. The premier of the film was attended by the prominent media personalities. I tried to achieve best out of available resources.
Yeah there were some kind of unhappy proceedings for my part with students when they showed substantial amount of negligence towards there study and was demanding higher grades without working up to the mark. They openly misbehaved with me which at the time get solved by Brian's positive intervention. I asked students to attend practical exam of news casting with proper dressing like formal for boys and shari for girls. For heavens sake this was just to follow standard local media norm and this also used against me! Why students should be entertained this sort of ill manners? Is it the general practice at ULAB or just used as a plot against me?

Something was going wrong from the very beginning. I applied for the full time faculty position of Assistant Professor and was selected from a number of qualified candidates after several interviews and a presentation. Finally Dr. Shoesmith greeted me with the sentence that the board found me 'the best qualified candidate' for the post and sent me to Dr. Jahir, Deputy Director of Academic Affairs. Surprisingly I found Dr. Jahir telling something very different and that was that the ULAB management which he was representing for had not an offer of a full-time Assistant Professor for me, but of a part time Senior Lecturer. According to him, the post was supposed to be regularized after one semester. I accepted as I had no option at that time. Though I tried to convey my uneasiness to Dr. Shoesmith, I worked hard with my full energy and complete devotion. But after successful completion of the first semester, Dr. Jahir came again with the message that Dr. Shoesmith had told him to keep my position as part-time for one more semester. I immediately contacted to Dr. Shoesmith and found the fact otherwise and asked him to rescue me from bureaucratic atrocity. He made some initiatives and orally confirmed me that from January 2008 my position of Senior Lecturer in the Department would be regularized and after one year I would get the status of Assistant Professor. He told me that he had discussed the matter with you and the mentioned decision had been made. I agreed to the proposal and was preparing myself to serve ULAB at my level best.
This very Dr. Jahir was trying to pursue me from the beginning to accept his fishy propositions of hidden formula; he on and off suggested me to go and having suggestions from Mr. Asiujjaman. Beginning I thought it was simple thing but after having two three sitting with Mr. Asiujjaman I found the hidden agenda of their power formula in which I was not really very interested. I proceed on my own way of straightforward proceedings.
At the end of my second semester, I got the bolt from the blue. After finishing Patharghata field trip, I received a queer mail from Dr. Shoesmith. Immediately I called him. He asked me to share a serious matter at his apartment next morning. I was informed at my utter astonishment that a student had made a serious allegation against my behavior which advising committee found as 'sexual harassment'. I was shattered beyond measure and challenged the finding immediately. Dr. Shoesmith asked me not to be agitated as the matter would go to the disciplinary committee and they would be listening to my version of the said event before making any further evaluation. I was waiting and that was severely tortuous. Dr. Shoesmith left for home keeping the matter unresolved.
I asked Dr. Jahir to settle the matter at the earliest and free me from the unbearable mental sufferings. But, as before, he did things in his macabre style. He confused me further by telling that the very student did not share the matter with advising committee, just talked to a faculty unofficially and notes were taken from that only. His approach was hardly convincing at my end. I was trying to contact the student but she was not available. After a week or so, she phoned me apologizing for dropping the course I was conducting. I asked her about the allegation. She showed her innocence and told that she did not put any allegation against me. I immediately reported the matter to Dr. Jahir. He bothered little though and kept on asking me to give the result sheet early. His attitude made me guessing the obvious plot to throw me out of ULAB after getting the required sheets. Though it is hard to prove, a kind of conspiracy prone environment existed in ULAB where students are used in an unethical way. This time for unidentified reason I have become the target.
I sent several mails to Prof. Shoesmith, between, to help meout of these conspiracies: I felt certain power block of ULAB was not doing properly to me and just when I was supposed to be regularized, they played the final card. He replied me after long. This time he turned me down by telling that all my speculation about conspiracies against me would not help. According to him, students were not happy with me and I got my salary because they paid (!!). I found his position frustrating for sure, but more than that pathetically irrelevant to what the issue was about. Especially on the backdrop of my status as being charged for what some of the officials, quite in an unofficial manner though, found as 'sexual harassment'. I remind Prof. Shoesmith advising me at my beginning in ULAB to be hard to maintain discipline. Also when I asked about the expense of the course, he suggested me not to bother about that.
On around the third week (17th Jan 2008) the meeting of what is referred as disciplinary committee took place. By that time I had submitted my result sheets, and on time. To my surprise, there was only Vice Chancellor himself accompanied by Dr. Jahir in VC's room. After asking me a couple of formal questions like 'how are you?', 'how many semesters you taught here?' the VC concluded by telling 'we are not going to renew our contract with you.' Ironically I had already been named as tutor for three courses in the next semester. Politely I asked about what made them to decide in that way. The Honorable VC suddenly became terribly angry (!) and told me about so called allegation and its subsequent investigation by a lady member of the Board of Governors (BoG). I exclaimed how it was possible to make any investigation complete without never asking me anything about the matter! Why I am not given any opportunity to defend myself? Why are you not listening to my version of the event? Why do you accept my assessment on academic matters of students and in this case you are not even listening to me. How this particular student become so trustworthy to you, who in my view hardly compatible to be in the Media Studies Department. Laughably enough honorable VC told me that if I was a full time faculty, then only they would evaluate my explanation. For God's sake, who made this rule of discrimination? If I knew before about this disgraceful conduct for part time faculties I would never joined at ULAB. I strongly believe such is not the case. I strongly denied this and told that to reach in this kind of conclusion of convicting one is fully devoid of any sensible pattern of judgment. And about the very student, I have my set of assessment which should be counted at first.*
I challenged him of his way of judgment as inhuman. Then he become furious and starts threatening me and suggested me not to make any further stirring the matter. If I do so, I will be in trouble of getting job anywhere. Whether it is in any universities or in any TV channels; he used the phrase, "you know my connections". I simply get puzzled. I did not believe my ear; is this sort of abusive language coming from the mouth of a famed intellectual? It is totally barbaric, not at all at per with the philosophy of liberal arts. It is in sane, bordering almost blood thirsty cannibalistic attitude cloaked under civilized disguise. I just controlled myself and come out of his room calmly. Why he showed this kind of atrocity towards me? Is it for that I did not rallied behind him to strengthen his highly complicated mechanism for making ULAB a Bengali medium University?
I came to the media lab to assemble myself and tried to understand what has happened. Within a couple of minutes Dr. Jahir came to pacify me with his unbelievable calm and cruel mockery and shade crocodile tears for me. I asked him about the lady member of the BoG, who carried out the investigation. He made his hypocritical smile and told that the VC has made a mistake. The lady was not from the BoG, but certain faculty. Again I smelt the fishy manners in Dr. Jahir's behavior, which irritates me further. In fact, I was wondering, he is working for what! From the beginning he was trying to pursue me with his kind of politics of grouping. Irrelevantly he wanted me to go under the authority of Mr. Asiujjaman which I find highly inconvenient. Once he exposed a secret about Mr. Intekhab's conspiracy of using voice recorder and blackmailing you with me which I find tricky! (for the first time I am disclosing it for your convenience). From all this I smelt a kind invitation for group politics. I never go with this sort of narrow politics and feel a kind of betrayal to my sense of dignity. Anyway, I mailed to Dr. Shoesmith about my unhappiness regarding the development of the events. He showed pity on me that he was sorry and he could do nothing for me as if I asked any favor from him. Its not that... Basically, I was seeking justice.
I need to share with you another similar unhappy matter related to greater GEMCON family.**
Unlike Meena Bazar incident this time Brian just bends under the pressure of conspirators and turned me down otherwise. I came to know that before this sort of girl abuse happened in students' group politics; now it has become convenient way for turning down faculties who do not conforms to some particular power monger group. ***


So finally its you, to whom I may seek justice.
Last six) months, I pondered on and on and finally convinced to make the statement below:
You have made a wonderful educational environment and logistic system for hi-tech modernist education in Bangladesh. But the functional management understood very little about your good intension, only pursuing their own interest of solely personal benefits and contaminated the whole environ with their myopic lust and greediness, which is very much evident in all spheres of our ill fated motherland. I tried my best within my limited knowledge and resources to prevent another failure of a good wish. I took my job at ULAB as a fierce passion rather than a prosperous profession and that has made all the difference. Apart from curricular activities, I was inventing a series of creative activities, which is really beyond to the previous design of MSJ. I was confident enough with your infrastructural arrangement that within a couple of years the Department will reach truly in an international standard. I differ with Dr. Shoesmith that we will not be able to produce international standard of education here in Bangladesh. It is not my fancy. I got this confidence from my working experience with internationally acclaimed professionals and institutions previously. May be my passion got in truce with other's profession. I failed, they won. I do not bother because I fought for noble cause not for personal benefits. I believe in the phrase, "loose the battle field but win the war". And those scums may be contended by making me out of ULAB, but obviously will be thrown out to the garbage of time in near future.
I wish you will look after the matter earnestly and provide me with a proper justice more than that I wish you will not allow your clever and dishonest employees to spoil the wonderful institution you envisioned.

Best regards,

Dr. Shazedur Rahman
Theater and Media Expert

*I was really wanted to help her by seeing her weakness and inability to follow courses properly. I suggested a series of activities to follow from English competency to TV production techniques. Her ill manner of pursuing matter annoyed me. She undertook a documentary project and I was helping her by giving suggestions and connections, after dilly dallying sometime finally she reluctantly abandoned the project which involves university resources and lot of efforts from my part. This was surely annoying…. Moreover she was giving more importance to participate in fashion cat walking than her classes. So as a teacher it was my duty to warn her severely of her ill conduct…..there were no vengeances only good wishes. I strongly believe those conspirators got an opportunity of using her against me some way…I never wanted to make any intimacy out of teacher – student relationship parameter… may be she expected something else which I did not delivered and may be that made her ill manners provoked… or she might be used by those corrupt individuals against me...
(read her sms sent to me on 14th Oct. 2007: Some events in life are so beautiful that is never has an end but always a new beginning.Wish u a wonderfull eid.Eid mubarak. Sender: 0172336332)
I have carried out a mini private investigation about the girl after my technical sack from ULAB: I got remarks from her locality's distinguished person that the girl has been spoilt and they gave up all hope from her.
**I was invited to conduct a training program for Meena School for salesmanship performance development and direct a show by Ms. Sonia of Meena Bazar. Mr. Pravin, COO of Meena Bazar had a meeting with me and suggested me about the job. While I was trying to do the best accordingly I got a conspiracy lead assault from a official responsible for the management of the school as he wanted to make the show otherwise. He also used some salesgirl against me to satisfy his grudge against me. Finally the show was abandoned and Ms. Sonia apologized and pacifies me
*** Brian came to sense about their crooked way after another conspiracy lead sacking of another MSJ employee without Brian's consent. This time it is lab assistant Mr. Amin which made him frustrated beyond measure. He exclaimed his utter frustration to me in a personal meeting with me. Now only he understood the matter related to my case; he agreed with me that it was not students who wanted me out of ULAB but some high officials. He told me that he tried his best to keep me in but due to two faculty's total enmity against me and they were Dr. Jahir and Mr. Khaled Khan (!).

Like Brian Me too wonder why they become so authoritative and vindictive against me and my way while showing too much friendliness manner in person.